Chapter 96

Observing Song Yeonhui leaping around with pure delight and listening to the rest of the guild roar while pumping their fists, Baek Jinwoo found himself totally stunned.

His brain had entirely stopped functioning.

Was this for real?

Seriously?

The item actually dropped?

Just like that?

Holy crap!

He really should have attempted this way sooner!

“Ahaha!”

An abrupt burst of laughter finally escaped Baek Jinwoo’s mouth.

Man, it had been an eternity since he had experienced this specific type of intense, intoxicating rush of excitement.

Was it even acceptable to feel this incredibly overjoyed?

“Whoa, look at that, the guild master is actually grinning!”

“HAHAAHA! Incredible work, Song Yeonhui! INCREDIBLE WORK!”

“For real, how does it manage to drop right at the absolute final second? That is so incredibly dramatic.”

“YESSS!”

Indeed, Song Yeonhui.

Leaving her innate traits aside, she now possessed the genuine right to be called a disciple.

Securing a Dhampir.

That accomplishment alone was a monumental feat.

It felt almost surreal.

Had his fortunes ever lined up this perfectly before?

The notoriously terrible-luck, random-chance title was 「Battle of Summoners」, and Baek Jinwoo had never considered himself someone with great fortune.

Granted, things had been going his way a bit more frequently of late, but… ah, whatever.

He was simply ecstatic.

“Song Yeonhui.”

“Yes, Guild Master!”

“……First off, do you think you could let go of me?”

Being thrilled was fantastic, but exactly how long did she intend to stay glued to his side?

“Oh gosh, I am so incredibly sorry!”

Song Yeonhui startled and quickly took several steps backward.

Baek Jinwoo let out a short chuckle.

“Let’s finalize this exchange right this moment. I will transfer the one hundred billion won to you immediately.”

The chances of it happening were virtually nonexistent, but just in case Song Yeonhui started having second thoughts, he moved quickly to close the transaction.

And there was another detail.

Witnessing the guild members celebrate so passionately over a matter that did not even directly benefit them—he couldn’t suppress a warm smile.

They truly were transforming into a real family.

He could perceive the connections strengthening, bit by bit.

Gathered under the name of SKY, separate individual feelings were blending into a singular, collective entity.

A peculiar wave of satisfaction and accomplishment welled up deep inside him.

Because of that, he decided to be incredibly generous.

“Every single person on the national roster is getting an additional ten billion won today!”

“HOORAY!”

“GUILD MASTER, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!”

That marked the very first official bonus distribution for SKY.

And it was an ample sum of money to properly mark the happiness of acquiring both Little Giant and a Dhampir.

The procedure for summoning the Dhampir was identical to the one used for Little Giant.

Thump, thump.

A cluster of cards flew out in all directions, and he selected a single one from the floating collection.

[Dhampir (EX-rank)]

A Dhampir fell under the category of a vampire.

A mixed-blood creature, to be precise—one half vampire.

Naturally, it would rank as a lesser variant compared to the pure progenitor Dracul (S-rank), who served as the final encounter on the 20th floor of the Tower of Trials, but……

The actual combat capability was an entirely separate matter.

To be completely candid, looking strictly at the basic attributes, it was rather underwhelming. That made perfect sense—not a single person had deployed one in eight years.

But?

Combine it with Little Giant, and the entire situation undergoes a massive shift.

First things first.

Baek Jinwoo formally accepted the Dhampir.

— U-umm…… You.

In a certain light, her appearance bore a slight resemblance to Stormy?

A pale-skinned female vampire of roughly identical proportions stared directly at Baek Jinwoo with completely unreadable eyes.

There was something about her expression…

Entirely devoid of emotion, making her thoughts impossible to interpret.

— Are you JinuGod?

“It isn’t JinuGod, it’s Jinwoo.”

Baek Jinwoo corrected her without hesitation.

Even so, there was at least that much to appreciate.

In stark contrast to Rolly or Little Giant, this particular entity possessed the capacity to speak.

She was half-human according to the lore, so it made perfect sense.

— How did this come to be……? More urgently, my throat… my throat feels incredibly parched.

Ah, right.

The Dhampir possessed a unique trait—she sustained herself on her controller’s lifeblood.

Unbelievable.

Back when he was merely a video game player, it hadn’t posed an issue since it only meant a drop in a digital character’s health pool…… but experiencing it in reality was genuinely bizarre.

— Blood… blood…… I require JinuGod’s blood.

“Hmph.”

What exactly was he supposed to do about this situation?

She wouldn’t consume a massive quantity, right?

Even so, it would certainly be more than what a tiny bug would take……

Would it leave an itch?

Baek Jinwoo made no attempt to halt the Dhampir as she came unsteadily toward him.

Come on, it wasn’t as if she was going to drain his life completely.

She functions as a summon, and I am the master.

And right then—

— Waaah!

Precisely as her jaws were about to latch onto his wrist.

CRACK!

Drill Sarge’s weapon sheath struck the Dhampir, sending her body flying through the air.

— What do you think you are attempting, you disrespectful creature?

And he wasn’t acting alone.

WHOOSH!

Blazing embers erupted from Stormy’s dragon-topped implement, while Ramba’s eyes narrowed into a terrifying, dangerous glare.

— Jinwoo! That creature just attempted to CONSUME you, didn’t she?!

— If she steps any closer without receiving Jinwoo-nim’s explicit consent, I might just incinerate her to ashes.

Even the typically soft-spoken Stormy was uttering rather terrifying threats.

The Dhampir simply tilted her head sideways, her expression remaining perfectly blank.

— But I…… without a source of blood…… I will fade away.

Thump!

She collapsed right onto the floor.

“……”

Sigh.

Wonderful.

This companion might prove to be far more troublesome to handle than he had initially anticipated.

To begin, let’s look at her status screen.

[Summon: Dhampir]

[Species: Half Vampire]

[Rank: EX-rank (Quarantine designation)]

— Game-breaking mechanics identified under specific variables; restricted to Quarantine.

[Level: 1]

[Stats]

STR: 1, INT: 1, VIT: 1, AGI: 1

HP: 1,000, MP: 0

Crit Rate: 20%

Crit Damage: 20%

[Skills]

— Drain: Extracts the target’s MP to provide restoration to both the target and herself.

Drain.

It appeared laughably weak at this current stage, but when paired alongside Little Giant’s abilities, it became a terrifying asset.

— Indomitable: Restores 20% of incoming damage as health points.

— Magic Absorption: Restores 20% of incoming damage as mana points.

These were the traits belonged to Little Giant—can you see the synergy forming?

Little Giant’s mana pool replenished the more punishment he endured, and the Dhampir could utilize that very mana pool to mend both herself and Little Giant.

To put it another way, provided the setup was correct, endless health regeneration was achievable.

Naturally.

Without completion runes, it was completely useless.

Those specific pair of traits had to be elevated to their absolute maximum threshold using completion runes before an indestructible frontline defense could be established.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s not give the Dhampir such a miserable time.”

She truly did become lightheaded without any blood.

After pacifying his aggressive summons, Baek Jinwoo stepped over to where the fallen Dhampir lay.

Then.

“Right here.”

He extended his forearm to allow the feeding process to commence.

Like a newborn searching for sustenance, the Dhampir instantly bit down on his extended flesh.

It felt precisely like giving blood at a clinic.

There wasn’t much drama to it.

No irritating itch, just a tiny prick of pain and nothing beyond that.

This was entirely manageable.

Providing this once a day would likely be more than sufficient.

Roughly half a minute ticked away.

The Dhampir gradually detached her lips from his skin.

— My gratitude, JinuGod…… no, Jinwoo. I believe my thoughts are clearing up nicely, all because of you.

“Don’t worry about it.”

She would be occupying a position on their forward lines and battling intensely from this moment forward.

If anything, I am the one who ought to be grateful to you.

Regardless, Baek Jinwoo felt completely ecstatic today.

Ramba, Drill Sarge, Burst Dragon, Rolly, Rune Dwarf, Little Giant, and now this Dhampir.

He currently commanded an aggregate of seven EX-rank summons.

Truthfully?

He believed that even the legendary JinuGod of his past gaming days wouldn’t intimidate him now.

Admittedly, if that version materialized this exact instant he would likely get utterly thrashed, but if he was given just a bit more time, wouldn’t this assemble into the most formidable summon collection in existence?

“Hong Ari.”

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

Hong Ari, who had been staring absently at the emergence of the Dhampir, jerked awake with a start.

“Beginning tomorrow, you have another week of solo training. Things went well today, so take the rest of the day off.”

“Understood!”

He had deliberated on the matter extensively, and Hong Ari was clearly the most qualified individual to serve as the vice guild master.

She possessed the necessary capabilities, and she also brought prior experience from managing Arirang, a prominent guild.

“And Song Yeonhui, Hwang Jiwoo.”

“Yes, sir!”

“The two of you still have progression stages to complete, don’t you?”

Being joyous was fine, but they needed to accomplish the tasks they had set out to do.

Every single member of the national squad had to conquer the 20th floor.

Furthermore, Baek Jinwoo determined to finish everything up through the 30th floor prior to the commencement of the World League.

The 50th floor could remain untouched until the tournament concluded.

His initial schedule had been disrupted solely due to Little Giant, and things had multiplied exponentially from that point.

Regardless of how effortless the World League appeared on paper, he still required adequate preparation.

He wasn’t overly anxious about the other competitors, but Rachel presented a genuine threat.

“Excellent, you are dismissed for the day!”

Hwang Jiwoo watched longingly as the remaining guild members departed amidst cheerful shouting.

Naturally, she stood as the sole exception.

And the solitary entity offering her solace was—

— Do not let it discourage you. You still have my company, after all.

Flicker!

Stormy, and Stormy by herself.

Song Yeonhui and Hwang Jiwoo’s challenges on the 20th floor had been entirely wrapped up.

The one who truly endured a grueling ordeal was Drill Sarge.

For how many consecutive days had he been pushing himself to the absolute limit acting as the carrying service for the Tower of Trials?

“Are you feeling exhausted?”

— My master, please rest easy. I do not possess an understanding of what tiredness feels like.

“We still…… need to advance to the 27th floor as well.”

Now that he had provided aid to everyone else?

It was finally Baek Jinwoo’s turn to progress.

— It poses no difficulty whatsoever, my master! Do we set out this very instant?

Drill Sarge was a relentless warrior through and through.

A companion who would never falter, regardless of how demanding the circumstances became.

Baek Jinwoo began sprinting forward without a moment’s hesitation.

He had sailed effortlessly through the 26th floor—what real challenge could the 30th floor possibly present?

As he tore through the City Ghosts and advanced relentlessly, the ghostly sovereign that governed a sprawling domain fell into a furious rage.

He had successfully arrived at the 30th floor.

The zone boss, Phantom (S-rank), represented the entire spectral kingdom made flesh.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The surrounding reality started to tremble violently as the structures of the phantom kingdom launched into the air.

“Wow.”

Baek Jinwoo clicked his tongue quietly at the spectacle.

He had observed this event within the video game, but experiencing it firsthand in reality—the sheer weight of the aura was an entirely different beast.

[Every spirit within the domain is merging together.]

[‘Phantom’ (S-rank) manifests an overwhelming aura.]

Rumbleeeee……!

Far above.

An unimaginably colossal entity drifted in the heavens.

“Mind-blowing.”

The intense gravity it emitted nearly restricted the very breath from his chest.

— My master, are you holding up alright?

“Yeah, I am perfectly fine.”

On this occasion, he was required to conclude the battle within the span of sixty minutes.

The reason?

— Jinwoo-nim! Please allow me to prepare myself!

Because he had chosen to bring Stormy along for the fight.

How could an exhibition of ultimate destructive power proceed without utilizing the Storm Dragon Arts’ Blaze?

Annihilation or Devour would have served as superior choices, but at this moment, the primary goal was delivering the maximum possible destruction in the shortest available timeframe.

“Ramba, Rolly!”

— Right here!

— GRRR……!

And.

“Little Giant, Dhampir!”

He had summoned them to the field as well.

To assist in the fight?

Not in the slightest.

They were present merely to loiter around and absorb the massive experience points yielded by Phantom (S-rank).

He had even brought along the mechanical puppet that Song Yeonhui utilized.

The experience point yields within the Tower of Trials were incredibly massive.

As a direct consequence of that system, Drill Sarge’s current progression level had reached incredible heights.

He was already at level 55.

All due to the fact that he had eagerly stepped up to act as the transport method for the Tower of Trials, absorbing experience points continuously throughout the entire endeavor.

“Drill Sarge, you can clear this encounter entirely on your own, correct?”

— It will be effortless. I have already obliterated every obstacle during our ascent. This entity retains barely any of its original power.

Baek Jinwoo could scarcely draw breath under the pressure, yet Drill Sarge remained entirely unaffected.

If anything, the incredible violent energy welling up from within his form appeared to have left him slightly eager.

— Ramba, transfer every single enhancement stack into my being.

“I’ve got you covered!”

— In that case, I am commencing the assault.

LEAP!

Drill Sarge let out a single breath, then propelled himself straight into the heavens.

CRASHHHH!

A massive aura attempted to consume him entirely, but his ascending figure never faltered for a fraction of a second.

He simply wrapped his right hand securely around his weapon’s handle.

CLINK!

The very instant he executed a single, sweeping strike with his blade—

KABOOOOOM!

A shattering blast ripped through the atmosphere as shattered building pieces rained down in every direction, waves of dark energy bursting outward.

Even amidst that absolute pandemonium, Baek Jinwoo kept his eyes wide open.

Stormy did the same.

RUMBLE!

Rolly did as well.

Every single entity unleashed their destructive capabilities from their respective locations.

[The 30th-floor guardian, ‘Phantom’ (S-rank), has been annihilated.]

[Our congratulations!]

[You have successfully conquered the 30th Floor of the Tower of Trials!]

They had brought the encounter to a close in precisely five minutes.

Honestly?

Up to this point, things were still proving to be remarkably simple.